Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Private jets flying into Augusta for the week of the Masters Tournament must follow a different system for landing and parking aircraft after an effort in recent years requiring reservations failed to alleviate parking problems.Augusta Regional Airport doubled its aircraft parking capacity this year by using two taxiways as parking areas, said Ken Hinkle, the airport’s director of aviation services. About 200 aircraft, depending on the sizes and wingspans, will be able to park at the airport at one time, he said.“We are going to open up every bit of real estate we possibly can instead of turning customers away,” Hinkle said.Pilots will not be required to make reservations for landing times or parking spots as they were in 2013 and 2014, Hinkle said. Aircraft will be parked on a first-come, first-served basis.Customers – often wealthy corporate executives and businessmen – parked their planes longer than the time they had reserved a spot, and the airport had no method to force them to move, Hinkle said. That caused a backlog when other aircraft arrived for their still-occupied parking spots.“We couldn’t police how long people stayed,” Hinkle said.The change requiring landing slot times and parking reservations was made for Masters Week 2013 in an effort to disperse private aircraft to nearby general aviation airports and alleviate parking shortages at Augusta Regional. When parking areas filled, air traffic control was forced to redirect flights to other landing sites, causing customers to be at different airports than their ground transportation or catering services.The plan was a collaboration between Daniel Field, Thomson-McDuffie Regional and Aiken Municipal airports. This year, the four airports are still combining efforts to serve the large demand during the area’s busiest week of the year.Hinkle said pilots are encouraged to use all the airports but customers prefer Augusta Regional, so it is trying to accommodate the demand.“Every year, we want to improve the service. Augusta Regional is the preferred destination,” he said.Augusta Regional predicts about 3,000 landings and takeoffs for private aircraft during Masters Week, up from 2,034 last year, Hinkle said. The airport will use a portion of its taxiway for “drop and go” parking so passengers can get to the golf tournament even if long-term parking isn’t available, he said.Daniel Field does not expect its operations to be affected by the changes, said Becky Shealy, vice president of business development for Augusta Aviation, the operator of Daniel Field. The general aviation airport can park about 100 planes at one time, she said.The airport’s runway can only handle small planes because of its length, Shealy said. Larger planes must use Augusta Regional, Thomson-McDuffie or Aiken airports.Without landing reservations, Shealy said aircraft destined for Augusta might have delayed departures and be forced to slow down or circle before landing.“It’ll be interesting to see how this year pans out with no slot (landing) reservations,” she said.Hinkle said Augusta Regional has changed its system multiple times in recent years because the airport is trying to figure out the most effective method for handling the special event. Other major sporting events are held in cities with large metropolitan airports, he said.“We’re unique because we’re like seven Super Bowls on seven days. We’re trying to manage a fluid operation for seven days,” he said.Story and comments: http://beta.mirror.augusta.com

Ontario Provincial Police have identified the third victim of a March 17 airplane crash as Vilma Gumpal, 42, of Sudbury. Gumpal died after a Piper aircraft being flown by Sudbury lawyer Leo Arseneau crashed in rugged terrain in French River Provincial Park, near the mouth of the French and Pickerel rivers.Arseneau, 64, and his wife Mary Lou, 65, also died in the accident. Their names were released last week and a funeral service was held for the couple this morning (Thursday) at Glad Tidings Church.The OPP didn't release Gumpal's name until after what they are calling an additional post-mortem.Sources say Gumpal was a caretaker to Mary Lou Arseneau, who was in a wheelchair because of a debiliating disease.The three were on their way to Florida, via North Carolina, when Arseneau reported the plane was in distress about an hour after they left Sudbury.

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The Piper aircraft that crashed south of Sudbury and killed three people March 17 broke apart in mid-air, says the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.The six-seater plane, which was manufactured in 1979 and imported to Canada in 2006, was about 70 kilometres south of Sudbury when the pilot, Leo Arseneau, 64, called air traffic control to say he had to turn the plane back to land in Sudbury.Air traffic control gave him the go-ahead, and cleared for him to descend to 5,000 feet.When they asked if there was anything else they could do to help, they never heard a response, said Don Enns, regional manager of the Transportation Safety Board's Toronto office.“On radar, the airplane appears to suddenly start to descend extremely rapidly,” Enns said.Investigators do not yet know what forced Arseneau to change his course, and eventually tore the plane apart.They do know the plane broke apart while still in the air, though, because the debris was spread out at three separate crash sites.The majority of the wreckage – which included the fuselage and tail of the aircraft, was discovered in a wooded area near the mouth of the French and Pickerel rivers.Investigators discovered the majority of the left wing about half a kilometre to the northeast of the main crash site, and found parts of the right wing nearly two kilometres to the southeast. “The first thing we need to do is get the aircraft wreckage out of the bush and into our facility here in Toronto,” Enns said.It will be up to the insurance company to retrieve the wreckage, and due to the difficulties accessing the crash sites Enns could not say when that would happen.They would likely need a helicopter to gather all the pieces of the aircraft, he said, and would then need to transport those pieces to Toronto.Once the Transportation Safety Board of Canada reconstructs the aircraft, investigators will be better able to determine what failed first.“Hopefully we can put together enough information that we can figure out the scenario of what happened,” Enns said.In addition to Arseneau, who was a well-known lawyer from Sudbury, his wife Mary Lou, 65, and her caregiver, who has not yet been identified, were killed in the crash.

An effort to recover three bodies from the wreckage of a small Sudbury plane continued Thursday in the bush west of Henvey Inlet.
"We're taking the bodies out today," said Const. Miles Loach, community service officer with the West Parry Sound OPP. "We found the plane and the three people who were supposedly in it, but we are still trying to verify the identities."Names would not be released by the OPP until post-mortems were carried out in Sudbury, he said.A team of investigators with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada was also on site, beginning Wednesday."Transport Canada and our investigator were the first two in there yesterday," said Loach.Investigators are visiting the site by helicopter, he noted, as it is in rugged terrain near the mouth of the Pickerel River."The OPP chopper is there now," Loach said. "Initially we were using the Coast Guard's, because you can't even get to it by snowmobile."The plane, a six-seat Piper Saratoga owned by Sudbury lawyer Leo Arseneau, departed from the city's airport around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, bound for Winston-Salem, NC, but reported engine difficulties less than an hour after takeoff.Arseneau's wife, Mary Lou, and a caregiver are believed to have also been on board.Derek Young, who filled in occasionally as legal secretary at Arseneau's law office, described a shaken workplace on Thursday."The team at Arseneau Poulson and their associates are grieving," he wrote in a Facebook post. "Leo was a friend, a colleague and a family man, with a gentle and kind spirit."Young said the lawyer and his wife were extremely close. "He was just shy of his 65th birthday and he and his wife of 48 years planned on renewing their vows this spring."Arseneau was also a magician who "enjoyed performing card tricks," noted Young, and performed an altruistic role by "flying disadvantaged families to hospital appointments. This is a big loss to the community."A mayday was received by the OPP just before 4 p.m. on Tuesday, after which the plane lost radio contact."When we first got the call, the location we were given was just out from Sans Souci Island (near Parry Sound)," said Loach. "I gather they turned around and were trying to make their way back to Sudbury."All planes are required to have an emergency locator device, but in this case there was no signal coming from the Piper's transponder unit."I understand there was some fire when it landed," said Loach. "Whether it wasn't working or was burnt, we're not sure."In the absence of exact coordinates, spotters with the OPP and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre out of Trenton had to scour a broad area Tuesday evening and overnight, using a Hercules plane and helicopter to conduct grid searches.By 8:55 a.m. Wednesday morning, JRCC personnel were able to pinpoint the wreckage and a member of the OPP's emergency response team was delivered to the site via a Coast Guard helicopter."They found a spot on the ice (of the Pickerel River) close to that where they could land, and our officer walked over to it from there," said Loach. (Earlier reports mistakenly said the ERT officer had to rappel down.)Loach said the plane was found "in two pieces, but very close together," suggesting the aircraft may have broken apart upon landing.Chris Krepski, a spokesman with the Transportation Safety Board, said no determination had yet been made on the cause of the plane crash."Our investigators arrived yesterday and will spend as much time as they need to," he said. "Usually they will spend a day or so on site, depending on how easy it is to access. They may also interview people in the area and look at pilot training records and aircraft maintenance history."Krepski said he wasn't able to communicate Thursday with the team dispatched to the crash site, as they were out of cellphone range."I've been unsuccessful in reaching them, which is often the case in isolated areas," he said. "They're there, but there's been no information since they were deployed."

Leo Arseneau
~

The death of a Sudbury pilot and two passengers hit hard among local aviation and legal circles Wednesday.

Leo Arseneau, an accomplished family lawyer and member of the Sudbury Flying Club, perished along with his wife, Mary Lou, and his wife's caregiver after his Piper six-seater plane went down in the bush near the mouth of the French and Pickerel Rivers on Tuesday.

The three were bound for Winston-Salem, NC, but reported engine problems after leaving the Sudbury Airport and crashed while attempting to execute an emergency landing.

News of the tragedy was showing on the faces of many lawyers at the Sudbury Courthouse Wednesday afternoon.

"He and I go back a ways, quite a ways," reflected Robert Beckett, a long-time Sudbury lawyer. "He just reached 35 years (in law) at the end of last year. He was one of my golf buddies."

Another veteran solicitor, Richard Pharand, described Arseneau as a doting husband and skilled attorney.

"In recent years, he was his wife's caregiver," said Pharand. "He was basically taking care of her. He would go to the office and do work and spend all his other time with his wife. He told me he had been at the hospital when she was there and spent a lot of time at her bedside."

Arseneau was involved in a number of noteworthy cases, said Pharand, including a civil suit against disgraced financial adviser Pierre Montpellier, who was convicted of conning 128 people out of $5.3 million in 2004.

"He acted on behalf of the victims and got them a good result," he said.

The suit, filed in 1999, sought $25 million in damages. In 2004, Arseneau obtained $4.6 million on behalf of more than 70 Sudburians who said they were cheated out of investments.

Arseneau also represented the parents of Davinder Kochar, killed in 2005, in their quest to have retroactive child support paid by their daughter's husband, Harinder Kochar, for the couple's three children.

A court ruled in 2011 that $200,000 was owed to the elder Kochars on behalf of their grandchildren.

As lawyers grieved a popular colleague and mentor, those who frequent local hangars and runways were also feeling the loss.

Michael Rocha, chief flight instructor with the Central North Flying Club, said he was more of an acquaintance than a close friend but would often encounter Arseneau at the airport, especially in the days when the Sudbury Flying Club -- of which Arseneau was a member -- was more active.

"The airplane community is a small one, so you get to know each other," he said.

Arseneau was a seasoned pilot, said Rocha, and used his plane mostly for long trips, as opposed to shorter leisure outings.

"The first time I met Leo was back around 1998, so he's probably been flying for over 20 years," he said.

The Piper Saratoga flown by Arseneau was a "higher performance" type of single-engine plane that is "designed more for long trips than sightseeing," said Rocha.

Anytime a plane goes down it sends a chill through the flying community, said Rocha, especially if someone is killed.

"You feel bad for everybody involved, and it gives you a bit of a pause for thought and reflection," he said.

Aviators are "are a very safety-oriented group of people, very conscious of safety," said the flight instructor. "And flying is one of the safest modes of transportation -- I've always said it's more dangerous driving to the airport than flying. But accidents still happen, and it's very unfortunate."

Joseph Arseneau's Piper Lance small engine aircraft parked in a parking
lot at the Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport after being forced to make an
emergency landing on westbound Highway 402 Friday night. The right wing
tip sustained damage after being clipped by an oncoming Dodge Caravan on
the highway. The female driver of the van, her four passengers,
Arseneau and his four passengers were all unharmed. Arseneau and his
family was enroute from Sudbury, according to OPP.

Submitted photo of the Piper Lance small engine aircraft after it landed
just after 10 p.m. Friday night.

The foreground shows a broken piece from the tip of pilot Joseph
Arseneau's Piper Lance small engine aircraft, which sustained damage
after being clipped by an oncoming Dodge Caravan Friday night on
westbound Highway 402. The carrier is currently parked in a parking lot
at the Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport. Pieces from the tip lie
underneath the aircraft. According to the Huron Flight Centre, the small
plane will be moved to the airside of the airport after an insurance
company examines the carrier on Monday.

A close up of Joseph Arseneau's Piper Lance small engine aircraft,
parked in a parking lot at the Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport, shows
damage sustained to the right wing tip. Pieces from the tip lie
underneath the aircraft. According to the Huron Flight Centre, the small
plane will be moved to the airside of the airport after an insurance
company examines the carrier on Monday.

A small airplane was forced to make an emergency landing on Highway 402 Friday night.

Joseph Arseneau, a 62-year-old pilot, was travelling with four family
members enroute to Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport from Sudbury in a
Piper Lance small engine aircraft around 9 p.m. Friday, said Const. John
Reurink of the OPP.

Reurink said Arseneau experienced an onboard electrical failure that left him circling the area to locate the airport.

“He made a call to our switchboard from a private cell phone because
his power supply was interrupted and his radio and navigation system was
down,” said Staff Sgt. Chris Oram of Sarnia Police.

Arseneau, running low on fuel, made an emergency landing on westbound
402 between Oil Heritage Road and Mandaumin Road exits with the
assistance of Sarnia Police and Lambton OPP.

“The original plan was to get (Arseneau) to the airport, but he notified us that he was running out of fuel,” said Oram.

After Arseneau’s aircraft landed successfully on the highway, west of
Plowing Match Road, a Dodge Caravan clipped the ring wing of the
carrier.

Reurink said the female driver of the van, 40-year-old Elizabeth
Goodall of Sarnia, and four other passengers, were uninjured, while the
driver side of the van sustained some damage.

“Thank goodness that nobody was hurt. That’s 10 lives... I get
goosebumps just thinking about it,” said Judy Ryan of Huron Flight
Centre in Sarnia.

“The plane could have gone up on flames. There could have been 10 fatalities.”
She added that Arseneau would have been disadvantaged and “flying blind” without electrical power.

“The weigh scales on the 402 were probably the only things he could see,” said Ryan.

Transport Canada is investigating the source of the onboard electrical failure, according to Reurink.

Oram said he has never heard of an emergency landing on the highway during his 29-year career with Sarnia Police.

Arseneau’s Piper Lance small engine aircraft sustained minimal damage
to the tip of the right wing and is currently parked at the Sarnia
Chris Hadfield Airport.
“The highway is open to ground traffic now, but closed to air traffic,” joked Oram.Source: http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca

The 402 could sometimes use someone to direct traffic, but last night the busy highway needed an air traffic controller.

Lambton OPP say a plane made an emergency landing on the highway near Wyoming, just east of Sarnia.

Officers
say it was around 9 p.m. when 62-year-old pilot Joseph Arseneau of
Sudbury was flying with four of his family members in his Piper Lance
small engine plane to Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport when the aircraft
went into on-board electrical failure.

Police
say without his instruments to help him, Arseneau circled continuously
to find the airport, but without his signalling the runway lights
wouldn't come on.

The
OPP says it was around 10 p.m. that Arseneau was running low on fuel
and was forced to make an emergency landing in the westbound lanes of
the 402 between Oil Heritage Road and Mandaumin Road Exits.

Officers say Arseneau brought the plane down successfully, but even though they were on the ground the drama wasn't over yet.

Police
say once the aircraft was on the roadway a passing van clipped the
right wing tip. Police say the 40-year-old driver of the van, Elizabeth
Goodall of Sarnia and her four passengers were not hurt. Arseneau and
his family were also uninjured by the collision.

Officers say the van and the wing tip of the plane did sustain some damage.

OPP say the westbound lanes of the 402 were closed until the plane and the vehicle could be removed.

A picture from the scene shows the small plane sitting on the highway bathed in the glow of emergency vehicles' lights.

Transport Canada has now begun an investigation into what may have caused the on-board electrical failure in the aircraft.

Source: http://www.am980.caThe steady hands of a Sudbury pilot faced with an on-board electrical failure landed his small airplane on Hwy 402 just outside of Sarnia on Friday night without any injuries.

Lambton OPP said Joseph Arseneau, 62, of Sudbury was flying his Piper Lance aircraft with four family members to Chris Hadfield Airport in Sarnia when at about 9 p.m. the electrical failure happened.

He circled the plane for an hour looking for the airport, but without his on-board instruments, he couldn't signal the airport to light up the runway.

For an hour, he continued circling the plane. At 10 p.m., now low on fuel, he had to make an emergency landing – and did in the westbound lanes of Hwy. 402 between Oil Heritage Rd.and Maudamin Rd.

While making the landing, his right wing clipped a van. The 40-year old female driver and her four passengers were not injured.

BERMUDA DUNES, Calif. -
People flying into the Coachella Valley for the BNP Paribas Open are causing a big boost for a local airport.The Bermuda Dunes Airport's busiest season starts now, and is having a huge kick off from people flying in on private planes from out of state and other countries."This is our season that we thrive on the most, and we get most of our clientele coming to the tennis tournament, and they like to come out and visit our nice weather," said Jeff Porras, airport manager."Our operations are up during this month because of the tennis tournament, about 70 percent, so we have roughly 100 operations, which is take-offs and landings per day here," said Robert Berriman, Public Relations Manager for the airport.The airport is making the most money on private jets that cost more to fuel and park than the conventional propeller planes that normally use the runway."This airport is centrally located to our community, it's well served to the surrounding cities that serve a lot of the visitors that come to the country clubs and the different event places," said Porras."You know it's good, that's what it's there for, every plane that lands there has landing fees, refueling, and the people who work there, so that's what makes it tick," said Cliff Smith, a Canadian who is visiting Bermuda Dunes.The busiest time for the airport is on the weekends. You can expect to see private jet planes take up most of the parking spots on the tarmac.Story, video and photos: http://www.kesq.com

NTSB Identification: ERA15LA15614 CFR Part 91: General AviationAccident occurred Sunday, March 15, 2015 in Reynolds, GAAircraft: KOLB MK-II, registration: N193YInjuries: 1 Fatal.This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.On March 15, 2015, at 1818 eastern daylight time, an experimental light sport Kolb Twinstar MK-II, N193Y operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Reynolds, Georgia. The student pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight which departed Thomaston-Upson County Airport (OPN), Thomaston, Georgia. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.According to a witness, a few minutes prior to the accident the airplane approached her property and flew two oval shaped patterns over her house. It then proceeded west towards her neighbor's property. Subsequently, the airplane had turned, was heading east, and was in line with the neighbor's driveway. At that time, the airplane had descended to about 150 to 200 feet above ground level, when it suddenly "took a sharp pitch forward and turned right at the same time" and impacted the ground in a nose down attitude. The witness further stated "the engine was running" while the airplane was overhead and they did not hear the engine "sputter or stop."The wreckage was examined by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. All major components were accounted for at the accident location. The airplane came to rest in a nose down attitude with the entire length of the wing leading edge resting on the ground. There were no ground scars noted leading to the airplane. Flight control continuity was established from the flight controls to the respective control surfaces. An undermined amount of blue fluid, similar in color to and smell as 100 LL aviation fuel was located throughout the entire fuel system.

The local flying community says losing Wayne Ray Morrell was like losing a brother.
"You can't replace him," says friend and fellow pilot, Terry Davis. "It's going to be tough here."There's an empty space in hangar 85."This flying fraternity just accepted him, and every single one of them loved him," Davis says,The brotherhood lost one of its members. 52-year-old Wayne Ray Morrell, who went by Ray, was killed Sunday when his plane crashed in Potterville around 4 p.m.Davis had known Morrell since he was a baby and says he had been flying about three years."He had seen that little airplane and just absolutely fell in love," Davis says about Morrell's single-engine experimental aircraft.Sine then, they had flown together several times."Nothing changed this man like aviation," says Davis. "For him, it was a whole new world.""Where he lives, he's somewhat of a legend," says Pete Pettis, who served as one of Morrell's flying mentors.Morrell was a mechanic from Reynolds, but had another home at Thomaston Upson County airport, where he would go on weekends to take to the skies."Every flight was an adventure," says Pettis, who remembers Morrell's fun and friendly personality.Pettis says Morrell was taking professional flying lessons. He could fly on his own but still had to have an instructor sign off. Mitch Ellerbee, airport manager, says the regulars formed a tight-knit group."Fly together, talk about flying together, go eat together, hang out together," he says. Ellerbee says rising above the loss of Morrell, who was a father and friend, will be hard."It's the first time it's happened here to one of our family," he explains."I promise you he went from here happy," Davis says.In the face of tragedy, Davis says Morrell would have never wanted an accident to turn people away from flying."He would be the first to say don't quit doing what you love, and he loved this."Taylor County Coroner, Gary Lowe, says the cause of death was multiple blunt impact injuries. Investigators are still figuring out what caused the crash. Morrell was just a few weeks away from getting his pilot's license.Story, video and photo: http://www.13wmaz.com

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A drone distracted the pilot of a small plane at the downtown airport Friday.
The pilot of a Beechcraft airplane was concerned last Friday when he spotted a drone as he was landing at Wheeler Airport in downtown Kansas City, Mo.The pilot notified the tower, and the tower called the police helicopter.The police helicopter saw the drone, but the drone eventually got away.The pilot landed safely, but Chris St. Germain, Vice President of The Experimental Aircraft Assn., Chapter 91 in Lee's Summit, said the incident should never have happened in the first place."They're not supposed to be operating, I believe, within three or four miles of the airport unless they get specific permission," said St. Germain. The FAA is developing regulations for drones. You can find the latest about unmanned aircraft systems on www.faa.gov/uas . Source: http://www.kshb.com

PLANT CITY (FOX 13) - A MacDill Air Force Base staff member was arrested and charged with shining a laser pointer at a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office helicopter as it flew over Plant City, investigators said Tuesday.According to the sheriff's office, one of their helicopters was over the Walden Lake subdivision Friday night when the pilots spotted -- and recorded -- someone pointing a green laser at the aircraft."He's hitting us repeatedly and he's not being shy about it," the pilot can be heard saying on video recorded aboard the helicopter.They said the suspect, later identified by deputies as William Polson, continued to shine the laser at the helicopter while the pilot guided deputies on the ground to the area.Before they could get there, Polson allegedly got into a car and left his home, but the helicopter pilots continued to track him. Their colleagues on the ground caught up with him a few blocks away, found the laser, and arrested him.The helicopter video, later shared by the sheriff's office, showed excerpts of the encounter, ending with the arrest."Good job, S.O. We got him and we got the, uh, device," a voice on the video can be heard saying."Outstanding," the pilot replies.According to pilots, lasers pointed into their eyes at night can cause temporary blindness, a clear hazard to their own safety as well as those on the ground."If he loses control of the aircraft then he could crash into houses, he could crash into -- kill people on the ground besides killing the pilot and the co-pilot," said HCSO pilot Kevin Johnson, who was not in the cockpit that night but has previously been targeted by a laser pointer. "It causes temporary blindness in the cockpit. It's very distracting. It can cause permanent eye damage."Polson, 57, was charged with misuse of a laser lighting device. He was released on $2,500 bond.Polson's arrest report states that he told deputies he works as a historian at MacDill Air Force Base. It's unclear what, if anything, will happen at MacDill.Story, video and photo: http://www.myfoxtampabay.com

William R. Polson, 57, is facing charges of misuse of a laser lighting device and obstruction or opposing an officer without violence.

PLANT CITY -- A Plant City man who works for MacDill Air Force Base as a historian has been accused of pointing a laser at a Hillsborough County Sheriff's helicopter.William R. Polson, 57, is facing charges of misuse of a laser lighting device and obstruction or opposing an officer without violence.According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the helicopter was conducting routine flight operations at 11:30 p.m. last Friday near the Plant City Airport when it was hit by a green laser.Pilot Kevin Johnson said lasers can be debilitating to a pilot."It causes disruption in the cockpit," he said. "It lights the cockpit up. It causes temporary blindness."

Pilots were able to pinpoint the area within the Walden Lake subdivision as the source of the laser, then obtained video of Polson while he was shining the laser at the helicopter, deputies said.Polson continued to shine the laser at the helicopter while pilots guided patrol deputies to the area, the report said. However, while deputies were en route, Polson drove away from his home, so pilots directed ground units to his location. Those deputies pulled him over and took him into custody.The arresting deputies said they found the laser in Polson's possession.Deputies say Polson works at MacDill Air Force Base as a historian."It would surprise me that someone in the aviation industry would do that," Johnson said.Polson was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail on $2,500 bond. He posted bond Sunday night.A spokesperson for MacDill Air Force Base said they weren't aware of his arrest until they were informed by the media. He is still employed as of now.Source: http://www.baynews9.com

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office released video they say shows William Polson pointing a laser at one of their helicopters.

Monday, March 16, 2015

The Wall Street JournalBy SUSAN CAREYMarch 16, 2015 6:12 p.m. ETTo understand why leading U.S. airlines are mounting a political campaign against growing competition in their markets from Persian Gulf rivals, look at the experiences of flagship airlines in Canada, Germany and Australia.Canada has so far contained the Gulf trio’s growth, to the benefit of Air Canada—though its efforts have strained diplomatic ties. German carrier Deutsche Lufthansa AG, which has lost significant traffic to Gulf rivals, is asking the European Union for help in leveling the playing field. Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd. chose to cooperate rather than fight, forging an alliance with Emirates Airline in 2013.The U.S. government is considering a new request for help from American Airlines Group Inc.,United Continental Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. The U.S. carriers want Washington to limit expansion by Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, alleging the growth is unfairly fueled by subsidies from the Gulf airlines’ state owners.Etihad, Emirates and Qatar insist that they are profitable companies that aren’t subsidized and that they offer Americans access to cities around the globe that U.S. airlines ignore. The chiefs of Emirates and Etihad are expected to address the dispute in separate speeches in Washington on Tuesday.Supporters say the Gulf airlines are simply emulating a strategy pioneered decades ago by other carriers with small home markets, including Singapore Airlines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: Build a big home airport and scoop up international traffic between other countries’ airports via that hub.The Gulf three have accomplished this in record time, developing hubs that easily connect travelers between Asia Pacific and Europe or North America. They recently began adding U.S. flights—they now collectively serve 10 U.S. airports—and their available seats have more than doubled since 2009. By choice, Delta and United each operate just one daily round trip to Dubai.Air Canada is “aligned on most if not all of the points” the U.S. carriers are making about the Gulf trio, said Benjamin Smith, the Canadian flagship’s president of passenger airlines. “It’s a very serious issue.”Canada’s air treaties with Qatar and the U.A.E. are more restrictive than the U.S.’s “open skies” accords. They have enabled Canada to limit the Gulf carriers to three round-trip passenger flights a week each. Some in Ottawa believe that number already far exceeds actual demand for travel to the Middle East and includes Canadians traveling beyond the Gulf. Air Canada doesn’t fly to the region, but it intends to start thrice-weekly service from Toronto to Dubai in November.The U.A.E. showed displeasure with the lack of expansion in 2010. Its then-ambassador to Ottawa said it was “frustrating” that five years of negotiations hadn’t increased flights. “The fact that this has not come about undoubtedly affects the bilateral relationship,” the envoy said.Within days, Canada’s then-defense minister said his nation would abide by the U.A.E.’s wishes and withdraw from a military base near Dubai that Canada was using as a staging area for the war in Afghanistan. Canadian officials decline to say whether the air talks were linked to the base closure. Soon after, the U.A.E. began requiring Canadian travelers to apply for pricey visas when they visited, a rule later rescinded.U.A.E. officials in Abu Dhabi didn’t respond to requests for comment. The U.A.E. embassy in Ottawa said the ambassador was unavailable. Its embassy in Washington said the liberal U.S.-U.A.E. air treaty has supported a successful economic and trade relationship between the two countries and generates new flights that are creating thousands of U.S. jobs. It also noted that its two airlines are the largest buyers of Boeing Co. jets in the world.Emirates remains interested in expanding in Canada, but it leaves that up to the Canadian and U.A.E. governments, a spokeswoman said. Etihad said it would be improper to comment on government-to-government issues, although it entered a code-sharing agreement with Air Canada in 2013.Canada’s government says only about 2% of its international traffic is covered by air treaties that contain constraints. “What we are not supportive of is deals where the balance of benefits is heavily skewed to one party,” said Air Canada’s Mr. Smith. The Gulf carriers “aren’t creating new trips,” he added. “They’re just transferring traffic.”In Germany, whose air treaties with Gulf states are more expansive, the Middle East carriers now offer 181,000 monthly seats on 529 flights from five German cities to their home airports. Etihad also owns 29% of Air Berlin, a rival of flagship Lufthansa. Air Berlin offers more flights to Abu Dhabi alone than Lufthansa operates to all three Gulf destinations.Lufthansa said its Frankfurt hub has lost nearly a third of its market share on routes between Europe and Asia since 2005, with more than three million people now flying annually from Germany to other points via Persian Gulf hubs. Lufthansa said it is responding in part by cutting flights, including Munich-Singapore, Frankfurt-Hyderabad, India, and, coming next month, Frankfurt-Abu Dhabi.Jens Bischof, Lufthansa’s chief commercial officer, says the market-share erosion will affect its United and Air Canada partners because Lufthansa won’t be able to offer as many connections to North American customers who change planes in Germany en route to points in Europe, Africa and South Asia.“The phenomenon we see here in Europe is more and more affecting the U.S.,” Mr. Bischof said.In December, Lufthansa and Air France-KLM SA asked the European commissioner for transport to press the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf to agree to “fair competition” provisions for current and future air treaties. Without that, Lufthansa and Air France said in a letter, “both the economic and strategic role of European aviation will be permanently impaired.”The European Commission said that it has met twice with the six-nation Gulf council and that a third meeting is envisioned this spring. The EU intends to lay out its aviation strategy by year-end and will seek public comment on provisions related to fair competition.The Emirates spokeswoman said the airline has long seen potential for adding cities such as Berlin and Stuttgart, but it respects the German government view that more service “is currently deemed unnecessary.”Australia was an early expansion point for Emirates, which started serving Melbourne in 1996. Qantas—hampered by high costs and a market-share battle with Virgin Australia Airlines, which is 22% owned by Etihad— teamed up with Emirates. The deal has helped stabilize Qantas’s finances and end losses on international routes as the airline halted unprofitable flights to Europe via several Asian transit points and concentrated on promising markets in North Asia and North America.Still, the Gulf buildup is changing travel patterns. In March, the trio offered 434 flights and 166,000 seats to their hubs from five Australian cities. Qantas has 31,000 seats on 60 flights from two Australian cities to Dubai. Both go on to London, the airline’s sole European destination.Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, speaking in February when the company announced interim results, said his airline is receiving high consumer ratings for its “Dubai hub” and the increased range of destinations it now offers in Europe through the Emirates partnership. The deal also allows Emirates customers to fly to smaller Australian cities on Qantas’s domestic network.—Rory Jones contributed to this article.Story and comments: http://www.wsj.com

NTSB Identification: GAA15CA00914 CFR Part 91: General AviationAccident occurred Monday, March 16, 2015 in JUDA, WIProbable Cause Approval Date: 06/01/2015Aircraft: BEECH 76, registration: N6700DInjuries: 1 Uninjured.NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.The pilot reported that while enroute to his destination, he experienced a loss of power to his left engine about 10 miles from the airport. Shortly after, the right engine experienced a loss of power, and the pilot maneuvered the airplane for an off-airport landing on a paved road. During the descent, the airplane struck power lines along the side of the road, causing substantial damage to the left wing. Upon subsequent investigation by a Federal Aviation Administration air safety inspector, it was determined that the airplane's fuel tanks were empty.The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:The pilot's improper fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, and a loss of engine power enroute.

UPDATE -- 9PM: A town is without power and a county road is closed after a pilot attempted an emergency landing near Juda, WI. Green County Sheriff Mark Rohloff says they got a call at around 6pm on Monday that a light aircraft had come down on County Trunk S.
Upon arriving, they noticed the plane had clipped some power lines while landing and ended up in a ditch. The pilot was not hurt.He was reportedly flying from Chicago to the Twin Cities and was planning a fuel stop in Monroe, WI, but misjudged the fuel supply needed. Both engines on the plane ran out of fuel, forcing the emergency landing.The power line he hit is a main trunk line from Monroe, and because the plane is in contact with the lines, repairing them may take some time. Investigators also say they may not be able to remove the plane until an FAA investigator from Milwaukee can arrive on scene. County Trunk S will remain closed until the aircraft is removed, and the Sheriff says that could be all night.Story, video and photo: http://www.mystateline.com

KUALA LUMPUR: Emotions ran high during a suit against a flight academy over the death of a student in an airplane crash, as the deceased’s mother recounted the tragic events in the High Court.Nowran Begam Mohamed Saliff is suing the Royal Selangor Flying Club (RSFC) for the loss of her son Mohamed Ihsan Saiyed Abu Thahir, who had died when his aircraft crashed on Oct 29, 2009.It was reported that Mohd Ishan’s CTRM Eagle 150B plane had crashed in the jungle in Lembah Beringin, Hulu Selangor, and the trainee pilot was believed to have died on the spot.Nowran Begam, 55, said she did not know her son was flying solo on what would have been his last flight before he was due for his pilot’s license test.When asked by the club’s lawyer T. Gunaseelan why she was suing the club and its flight instructor S. Nantha Kumar Devar, Nowran Begam retorted that the teacher and club should be held responsible as they were teaching her son to fly.The widow said that after her husband's passing, she had specifically told her son not to do anything dangerous as he was the sole breadwinner of the family.During cross-examination by Gunaseelan, Nowran Begam wept when asked questions about her son, and at one point even broke down, prompting Justice Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera to call for a short recess for the mother to regain her composure.The second witness, Department of Civil Aviation deputy director of airworthiness Idrus Abdul Rahman, told the court that the accident was caused by the pilot's inability to correct the plane.The committee that investigated the crash concluded that Mohamed Ihsan would have been adequately trained for a solo flight.However, when asked by Nowran Begam's lawyer M. Nagarajah if the trainee pilot would have been trained for flying in poor weather conditions (like on the night of the accident), Idrus said it was unlikely.In the suit filed at the High Court here on Oct 17, 2012, Nowran Begam sought RM242,239.20 in special damages for the loss of her son's possible income, funeral expenses and various other costs.She also sought RM500,000 in punitive damages.In its reply, the defendants argued that the accident was due to human error.They added that Mohamed Ihsan had known the risks of flying and signed a disclaimer not to sue in the event of an accident.However, Nowran Begam's lawyers countered that such an agreement to restrain legal proceedings was void as one could not disregard liability.The hearing continues today.Original article can be found here: http://www.thestar.com.my

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After a recent inventory check, Hertz realized 11 of its cars were missing.
Now, airport police along with LMPD are working to recover all of the cars and find out who's responsible.Hertz rents a lot on Huron Avenue off Crittenden Drive from the Louisville International Airport.Employees there recently discovered the missing cars and contacted airport police.Airport police then corresponded with metro police and since then, four of the eleven cars have been recovered.Authorities couldn't go on camera but tell us the stolen cars include Chevy, Ford, Toyota, VW, GMC and Nissan.They say they're mostly 2013 and 2014 models.On March 11th, metro police arrested Kevon Ryan for driving one of the stolen cars.According to documents, he told police he bought the car for $2,000 from someone in Sheppard Square, knowing it was most likely stolen.He was arrested on multiple charges, including drug trafficking.Police worked a similar case in May of 2013 when 14 rental cars were stolen from an airport lot.They tracked that theft ring back to two former Avis employees who they arrested. All 14 of those cars were eventually recovered.We reached out to Hertz for comment and received an email back, confirming the thefts and telling us they are working with police as the investigation continues.No other arrests have been made.If you know anything about the stolen rental cars, you're asked to call 574-LMPD or airport police.Story, video and photo: http://www.wdrb.com

Hertz has confirmed that 11 cars were stolen from this lot, four of which have now been recovered.